


Black Fog

by Ketzl



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-01
Updated: 2014-10-01
Packaged: 2018-02-19 10:56:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2385821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ketzl/pseuds/Ketzl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At some point, Crow found himself on the edge of the Daedalus Bridge, the Blackbird alongside him. He was distantly unaware of how or when he had decided to traverse the half-built bridge, only knowing that it now felt like some sort of sick metaphor for his soul. (Written for the YGOME14)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Black Fog

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Tenka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tenka/gifts).



Crow was pretty sure this whole thing was Yeager’s fault.

After all, as the definitely-not-a-Dark-Signer-after-all was screeching in fear of some threat unknown, Crow certainly didn’t think the blame fell to him.

Purple light was flooding the empty warehouse and Yeager was spouting something about how he should have left already. The short man was practically outside by the time Crow had caught up to what he was saying.

“Stop messing around!” Crow shouted after the retreating Yeager. “You’re a punk if you throw away your life as a duelist and run away!” In his frustration, Crow tossed his duel cuff at the other’s head, feeling a twinge of satisfaction as Yeager stumbled.

“My _actual_ life is more important right now!” Yeager yelled back, throwing his hand skyward and _somehow_ floating away via balloon. “If you also want to live, then run away! But it might already be too late!”

Miffed, Crow raised a fist at the ascending man. “You could at least say that we’ll continue this battle later!” he called, though it was unlikely Yeager was even listening. _Honestly,_ that guy had to be the most annoying-

The orange-haired Duelist’s angry thoughts were cut short by the sound of a blast, followed shortly by the earth shaking. Ash-gray fog was flowing eerily over the land, the intensity of the reverberations increasing as it rushed closer.

“What?!” Crow said to no one, cursing his luck. Today was truly not his day for auspicious outcomes.

Allowing himself no further hesitation, Crow sprinted away from the mist. He vaulted over the handlebars of the Blackbird, throwing his Duel Disk down and revving the engine. Crow yanked the throttle and focused entirely on putting more distance between himself and that strange mist – there was no way he was letting this day get any worse!

He chanced a backwards glance to get a better view of what he was attempting to escape from and immediately wished he hadn’t. “Damn! What is that?” he muttered with wide eyes. The fog proceeded in silence; it was obvious Crow would not be getting an answer to that question.

The mist soon descended over the streets of Satellite, blocking out the sky and covering the roads in darkness. The distant sounds of people screaming reached Crow’s ears.

Crow leaned as far down as he could manage, grasping desperately for every bit of speed he could achieve. The rumbling of the earth rose in volume, effectively warning the duelist that his attempts were in vain. He looked back again for a brief moment.

“Damn! I refuse to die…!” he grunted, twisting the accelerator as far as he could manage. “I won’t die in a place like this!”

Before Crow could even finish his sentence, the fog was around him, its darkness overwhelming. He coughed heavily, feeling as if smoke was choking his lungs. Crow was desperate.

_I can’t die! I have to protect the kids…!_

That thought sent a sudden jolt of horror into Crow’s heart. The kids were out there somewhere! They were alone and in danger!

Crow steeled his resolve. _I won’t let them down. I won’t die here!_

Beneath the near-deafening sound of the earth rattling was another noise. Crow strained to hear it, hoping with all his heart and soul that it would be something that could save him.

_Water,_ he realized. _It’s the sound of running water._

The decision was instantaneous. If Crow was going to survive this then he had to take action. If that meant placing all his bets on the hope that an area with running water would provide him refuge, so be it.

Crow hit the brakes, the Blackbird screeching to a halt. Urgency filled his veins; the black fog was beginning to feel like it was burning him slowly from the inside out. He jumped off of his D-Wheel, not bothering to make certain that it stayed upright. The screens were beginning to fizz with static, and Crow was _not_ interested to see what would happen if _he_ stuck around in this mist.

Smoke-gray eyes scanned the area hastily, searching for any sign of something that could save him. _Come on, there has to be-_

Crow’s eyes caught on a beaten-up refrigerator, the door swinging open on loose hinges. He dashed towards it without a second thought. He had committed to this area and it was undoubtedly his last chance.

The scorching sensation of the malevolent fog was rising. Crow hissed in pain as he ran, squeezing one eye shut against the sting. _I can’t give up, I’m too close now!_

He leaped forward, the sudden impact with the object making it teeter precariously. Grasping blindly behind him, Crow’s fingers caught the edge of the refrigerator door. He gritted his teeth and pulled hard, the aching in his limbs protesting vehemently. The mental image of the kids – _his_ kids _–_ kept him fighting through until-

A hollow thump echoed around him. Crow opened his eyes, distantly unaware that he had closed them in the first place. The door was closed and was being kept from swinging wildly open again by a clenched hand. A few wisps of fog swirled at his feet, but they appeared to be fading.

Or maybe that was Crow’s vision.

Crow leaned backwards against the refrigerator wall, breathing hard. The burning pain hadn’t gone away; it was no longer getting worse, but it had certainly taken a toll on him. Crow’s vision swam, although there wasn't much to see anyway. He focused on the muted rumble from the fog passing by outside.

As Crow’s sight grew darker, he grasped for an image in his mind to keep him fighting. He settled on his kids looking up at him in wonder, delighted to see that he had brought them new cards.

With the tiniest of smiles on his face, Crow blacked out.

\--

“Crow! Hey, Crow!”

The boy in question shifted, but did not awaken.

A hefty shove followed that, sending Crow scrambling to the floor. He yelped and rubbed his head, opening sleep-heavy eyes in annoyance. “Wha- who did that?” he grumbled.

He was met with a bright-eyed stare and a wide grin. “Who do you think?” one Jack Atlas said proudly. The blond laughed. “You should have seen your face!”

Crow scowled. “Jack, I was trying to _sleep_!” he growled, though it came out more like a whine.

Jack shrugged, seemingly nonchalant. “Well you should have woken up by now! Martha said she’s going to make us some cup ramen.” Jack’s haughty image was broken momentarily as he thought of his favorite food, smiling dreamily to himself.

Crow rolled his eyes fondly. “Where is-”

“Jack? I told you not to wake him up…”

The blond boy chuckled. “Oh, but Yusei, you should have seen his face…!”

Yusei looked at Crow with what seemed like an apologetic glance before turning back to Jack. “Martha wants your help in the kitchen.”

“What? _My_ help? Why?!” Jack cried indignantly, crossing his arms. “It’s just cup ramen! Besides, why isn’t she getting _you_ to help? You never say no when Martha asks you for help!”

Yusei just smiled slightly. Jack sighed, walking from the room muttering.

"Sorry he ended up waking you," Yusei murmured at last.

Crow shrugged. "Nah, it's fine. I would have missed the cup ramen if he hadn't. Besides, I’ll definitely get him back later!"

Yusei nodded. "You should get up, Crow," he suggested seriously, looking out the window at an increasingly cloudy sky.

Crow's brow furrowed. "What do you mean? I _am_ up. Jack woke me, remember? Are you feeling okay, Yusei?"

The clouds outside darkened to an obsidian-like black. Yusei didn't look back towards Crow as he answered. "The kids are depending on you, Crow. You can't give up, remember?"

"I..." the orange-haired boy began, but he cut himself off when the vision of a dozen or so giggling children crowded around him.

Before Crow could even begin to respond to Yusei (a Yusei who was much younger than the real Yusei was, Crow now realized), the jet-black clouds from outside went spiraling towards the window. The twisting clouds broke through the window, engulfing the room and hitting Crow in the chest. He flew backwards, the wind knocked from his lungs and a burning pain crawling along his skin.

Crow cried out, forcing his eyes open to see-

The closed door of an old refrigerator.

Heart pounding as he gasped for air, Crow belatedly realized that the burning pain he had felt in his dream - and in reality prior to falling into unconsciousness - had subsided. Despite that, his limbs still ached. He decided to count himself lucky overall; judging by the distant screams he heard when he was attempting escape, some people might not have been so fortunate.

That thought was enough to make Crow flinch upwards. The kids! They might have been caught in the fog!

_What if... What if..._

Crow put those thoughts out of his mind. Everything would end up okay. Sure, he had had a taxing day - mentally and physically - but the universe had to have some sense of kindness, right? His kids were definitely fine.

Carefully, Crow pushed the refrigerator door open. The road in front of him was entirely devoid of vicious black smog. Crow suddenly wondered how long he had been unconscious. It hadn't _felt_ like very long, but...

With renewed determination, the orange-haired duelist took a step forward-

And promptly collapsed.

Crow groaned, beginning to feel the toll of the mist and taking refuge in a cramped refrigerator for some indeterminate amount of time.

Driven by the need to see if the kids were safe after all, Crow pushed himself to his feet, stumbling slightly as he went. He trudged over to the Blackbird and hauled the D-Wheel back upright, grimacing as he did so. He was kind of sorry he had treated the Blackbird so carelessly now, but chose not to dwell on it. He twisted the throttle gently.

Reassured that the Blackbird was well enough to get him to the other side of Satellite, he gave his exhaustion another mental shove and sped away from the refrigerator that had saved him.

As he rode, Crow was struck by just how empty the streets were. This realization left a cold hunk of ice settling in his stomach. The memories of people dueling in the streets were quickly erased with a frigid breeze and a blink. Chilled, Crow shouted, “Everyone!”

He earned no response.

Crow wanted nothing more than to escape the area and go in the direction of the Daedalus Bridge. Twisting his D-Wheel in the opposite direction, he revved his engine and made a beeline for his hideout. Blackbird’s rider tried desperately to ignore the state of chaos that every building now sported; the broken glass and crumbling walls were even worse than they once were, and he didn’t like to think about what had happened to the _people_ who had been within those walls.

When he allowed himself to wonder what _had_ happened to everyone-

_No! Stop it!_

Crow rode faster.

The ocean that separated Neo Domino and Satellite shone dully, the lack of sunlight causing the glinting surface to become muted and murky. Despite that, Crow had no trouble locating his roost - the half-built bridge was a dead giveaway.

He took a hard turn around the corner around one of the warehouses, brakes screeching and one foot down before the D-Wheel had even stopped rolling. Throwing his left handlebar up, he jumped off his bike, barely remembering to turn off the ignition.

Crow threw open the curtains of one of the area’s many hidden nooks. “Hey, everyone! It’s me! You’re here, right?” Crow called, vehemently choosing not to believe there was any other possibility.

The spot was empty, but he persisted. “It’s Crow! Stop hiding and come out! Stop messing around!”

Suddenly, the most reassuring sound Crow could possibly imagine reached his ears.

“It’s Crow!”

“Crow came home!”

“Crow?”

Hardly daring to believe his good fortune, the one the kids called for turned around, his eyes already sparkling with unshed tears.

_They’re here! They’re all here!_ he thought breathlessly.

“Big brother Crow!”

Crow wore his widest grin, kneeling down to the kids’ level. “You guys!” he called, his voice dripping with relief. He held his arms out. “Thank goodness. Thank good-”

_No._

As the children leaped into his offered embrace, they vanished like apparitions. Blown away like the very fog that had taken them.

Crow was frozen, shuddering as if caught in a blizzard. An empty wind blew across the concrete, but the only person occupying it didn’t notice.

_No. No, that can’t be right._ He shook his head slightly, imperceptibly. _I’m mistaken. They’re just playing a practical joke on me! They learned it from me, from their big brother Crow! It’s no big deal. They’re probably just hiding…_

Walls of austere gray cement and stone wobbled and blurred into the inky charcoal black of the clouds. Those _evil_ clouds. Hot tears trailed down his face, but Crow barely registered the feeling.

“This has to be a joke,” he whispered, staring at his hands as if he could change the truth. He crumpled to the ground. “This has to be a joke!”

A broken scream tore out of his throat. The hollow feeling of anguish pervaded his entire being, raw and something like the worst pain he had ever felt, would probably ever feel. His very _hope_ had been stolen away from him, leaving him empty and without a sense of purpose.

At some point, Crow found himself on the edge of the Daedalus Bridge, the Blackbird alongside him. He was distantly unaware of how or when he had decided to traverse the half-built bridge, only knowing that it now felt like some sort of sick metaphor for his soul.

Crow was lost in a spiral of shadows created by strange black fog. The sensation of something being ripped away and never returned came to mind, but he could only bring himself to stare across the sea at those hateful clouds.

He was distracted by the unrelenting emptiness by a sharp, instantaneous fork of blue lightning. Crow spun around as thunder rumbled. The cold sorrow in his veins melted and boiled into a frenzy of white-hot rage. He knew what the storm meant, and as the faint outline of a giant briefly lit the sky, Crow couldn't hide his sneer.

"There you are, Dark Signer!" he hissed, already mounting his D-Wheel.

It all made sense now. The Dark Signers, in their efforts for world domination or world torment or whatever, had sent that dark fog. Crow was too blinded by the anger that pounded through him to wonder why; he only knew that the thirst for revenge was what was driving him through a time which would otherwise have him withering away in agony.

In the end, he supposed he had been wrong. The universe had no sense of kindness. But the Dark Signers had taken everything from him now.

His purpose. His hope.

And with a cold misery and a burning anger warring within him, Crow decided he would follow the universe's example.

_The Dark Signers are going to pay._

**Author's Note:**

> The prompt was: "Give me something terrible, something that tortures the characters, puts them through hell and back, physically and/or mentally. Make everything hurt and push them to the breaking point. Whether they break or not is up to you. Just make sure they have to earn their happy ending, if you so choose to have one. Canon-verse."
> 
> I immediately thought of Crow's troubles in episode 44/episode 51. That's when this story takes place.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


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